The Sheik and the Slave

They walked back to Abigail and her child on a blanket in a grass and joined them.

When Katharine was alone in her room, she was elated. She knew that the time was growing close and soon Mohammed would join them. She would be reunited with him and he would know their son. Her father had given her peace of mind and she was so grateful.

She would be married shortly and perhaps another child would soon follow. She wanted a girl to

shower with love and affection and hoped it would be so. Soon she would be in his arms as his wife, and they would be a family.

Chapter 24

Abdullah spread his fingers on his knees with his head level. He silently said the prayer three times.

He murmured “Allahu Akbar” and went onto his knees, his hands, and forehead, touching the mat, with his elbows extended out.

He murmured in Arabic, “Glory to my Lord the most high,” three times, remaining on his knees.

In this position, he was nearest to the Lord.

He was overwhelmed and needed guidance. He discovered too late that everything he had worked so hard for was falling apart. The foolish and silly Safiya, who was supposed to have been their savior and brought Mohammed back to Allah, had disappeared. No one knew her whereabouts, and even her uncle and father had been shocked to find her gone. Worse yet, the harem women had been gossiping about her. His spy informed him that everyone all but suspected that the babe in her belly was not the sheik’s but her uncle’s child, who visited her nightly. It was too much to bear.

That in itself was an irritant, and Abdullah was burdened with that knowledge. But even worse was the discovery that Mohammed had secretly left Arabia to return to England to find the witch. Everything he had fought to save was over.

He prayed deeply and tried to find his path. He loved Mohammed and knew the white woman would bring about the demise of the sheik. He also knew that she had given birth to a son, a son that must be raised in the Islamic faith.

He prayed long into the night, and as the sun came over the horizon, he knew exactly what he must do. He had left fate to too many inferior people who could not or were unable to complete the task at hand.

He was not such a man. He was not afraid to get his hands dirty and would do what was required. He stood resolved and with a new sense of purpose. He would kill the white witch with his bare hands. He would choke the very life from her throat and watch the life drain from her eyes. It was the only way to save Mohammed, his son, and their people’s future. He would make his way to England to complete the task. Inshallah.

***

Katharine’s simple dove-grey muslin dress flowed around her as she sat with her son and Abigail on a blanket under a large oak tree. Abigail was reading Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World In Four Parts by Lemuel Gulliver from her father’s library. The women were taking turns reading chapters as her son happily played with a toy that Edward had made for him.

“It’s a delightful book,” Abigail said as she took her turn to read.

When Abigail began to read, Katharine closed her eyes and found her mind wandering. She watched the breeze in the trees and had a sudden ache for the heat of the desert.

When Abigail finished her chapter, she closed the book and looked at the small child yawning.

“Dear, I’m going to take him to lie down and I think I might nap myself,” Abigail said. She smiled and placed the precious babe in the carriage, wheeling him down the green.

Katharine lay upon the blanket, staring up into the trees and feeling the breeze upon her face. It was a lovely day, with cottony white clouds in the pale blue sky.

Abigail came back a short while later looking strained and holding a letter in her hand. She sat down next to the young woman who was still staring at the sky.

“Dearest, I have received a letter from the Abbey,” she began. “There is a letter that was addressed to me but that I think you should read it. I’m going to leave it here. And if you need me, I will be nearby.”

Katharine looked at the small piece of paper folded in half and saw the cursive writing inside it.

Was it from Mohammed? Was he nearby? Her heart leapt at the thought. She would be with him soon. Her love!

She greedily opened the paper with joy. As she read the words, the color drained from her face and she felt her heart ache. “No!” She whispered. No!

The letter was brief and read:

Dear Madame –

We received your letter regarding the Lady Katharine and are pleased to hear that she is well. However Princess Safiya has recently announced her pregnancy and the Sheik is making arrangements for the birth of his legitimate first born son to his wife. A son –Inshallah.

The wedding is being planned and is a great event as it joins two great families. The bloodlines will be ensured once the child is born to the Sheik.